The Prancing Pony Podcast

Alan and Shawn once again open the doors of the common-room to our listeners for live, unscripted Q&A! We shoot from the hip on questions about “wild men”, Frodo’s mental resilience, and whether Fëanor really is just too melodramatic (spoiler: yes). Also, what is it that makes Tolkien’s work so enduringly popular, and does Tom Bombadil have a personal teleportation device? Answers to these questions and more inside… plus, great ideas about where to wear your Prancing Pony Podcast T-shirt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alan and Shawn are thrilled to welcome back Brian Sibley for his first full-episode interview! A writer and broadcaster, Brian has been responsible for beloved adaptations of Tolkien’s work such as the BBC radio dramatizations of The Lord of the Rings and Tales from the Perilous Realm. He’s also written several books on Peter Jackson’s films, for which he had rare access behind the scenes during production. We talk to Brian about the history behind these projects, hear inside stories about your favorite hobbit actors, and learn why producers try (and often fail) to keep the writers out of the studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Council of Elrond draws to a close, and options are finally debated about what to do with the One Ring. But the easy way is obviously the wrong way, the hard way seems impossible; and frankly, you know the committee is running out of ideas when “give the doomsday weapon to the guy in the yellow boots who sings all the time” is a proposal under serious consideration. But in Tolkien’s world, small hands often move the wheels of the world… and fortunately, there are a lot of small hands going up around the table.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Frodo finally learns why Gandalf never came as promised: Saruman the (Until Recently) White has turned to the dark side! The betrayal sinks in as the wizard tells the tale of his imprisonment at Orthanc and his rescue by Gwaihir, swiftest of the Great Eagles. With the Council finally caught up, they turn to the real question: what to do with the Ring? (And no, Gwaihir isn’t taking it anywhere.) We celebrate an important Tolkien birthday, go on tour with the Dreadful Nine, and wonder what lucky person in Rivendell got picked to hang the Ring on Frodo’s neck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gandalf and Elrond come to terms with their own past mistakes while Aragorn reveals the lengths to which he’s gone to repair the faults of Isildur. As the story continues to unfold, the truth becomes clear to all at the Council of Elrond: Frodo’s ring is the One Ring cut from the hand of Sauron, and Gandalf isn’t afraid to use strong words — in the Black Speech — to prove it. We meet Radagast (in flashback), get word nerdy on a rather condescending name for Hobbits, and look for eucatastrophes in our favorite non-Tolkien stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Council of Elrond continues with a brief history of Arnor and Gondor since Isildur’s time, and Boromir begins to learn the meaning of the riddle that brought him to Rivendell. He takes the revelation of Aragorn’s identity surprisingly well; but he still has questions, prompting another tale from Bilbo about the finding of the Ring. We hear back from some listeners we met at Tolkien 2019, revisit a meaningful comment by Elrond from last episode, and learn disturbing truths about the teenage preoccupations of one of our hosts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Council of Elrond begins, and to help us bring the meeting to order, we welcome Corey Olsen — the Tolkien Professor himself — to the Prancing Pony Podcast! We start with a conversation about the nature of Rivendell itself, then dive into the text to untangle the various accounts at a pace none of us are quite used to. Along the way, we revisit the making of the Rings of Power, the Last Alliance, and Elrond’s less-than-exemplary committee chairing skills. Plus, what really happened when Frodo showed Bilbo the Ring? And what's up with Boromir's hair?     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With his friends all gone, Frodo stays in the Hall of Fire listening to the minstrels of Rivendell. The Elvish singing speaks to him in sweet accustomed ways, and he wanders enchanted for longer than time can remember... returning only when he hears a familiar voice chanting. We give Bilbo’s Song of Eärendil the full Prancing Pony Podcast treatment, explore its origins in an earlier Tolkien poem, and start assembling our best playlist as the starship mariner goes sailing on by. But first, Shawn takes the helm in an intro segment that he’s way too excited about. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now taking a straight and stronger course to recovery, Frodo feels it’s time for food, drink, and merrymaking. He has a brief reunion with Sam, then with Merry and Pippin before they’re all moved on to the hall for a feast.  Each way he turns his head, Frodo is surrounded by fair and powerful folk; but he has a pleasant (if cautious) dinner conversation with Glóin, after which he’s on his way to the Hall of Fire for a very merry meeting in the corner of the room. Plus Elves are singing! Dwarves are blinging! And Elrond makes a claim for the title of Best Elf Father-in-Law to a Man (your move, Thingol). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We return to the text of The Lord of the Rings with the first chapter of Book II! Frodo awakens in Rivendell after the incident down by the river to find Gandalf beside him. Now that it’s all over and done, Frodo is relieved to find that he and his friends are alive and whole, but as he learns more about events since Weathertop, he realizes how close he came to becoming a wraith himself. We get up to a Tolkien Quote of the Day about children, and get down to why the Barrow was “the most dangerous moment of all”. Also, another chance to talk about werewolves? Yes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices